Cryptocurrency system having integrated electronic delivery features

ABSTRACT

A method includes conveying a cryptocurrency transaction to a peer-to-peer network, wherein said cryptocurrency transaction having encoded therein an email address and to convey goods or services embodied in an electronic form to the email address in response to receipt of said cryptocurrency transaction on said peer-to-peer network. The conveying of goods or services includes transmitting over the Internet in conformance with an email protocol. The goods or services includes event admission tickets, music recordings, video, text, game content, live event broadcast, software, encryption keys or passwords.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/877,251, entitled “Commerce systems having integrated electronicdelivery features,” filed May 18, 2020, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following disclosure is generally concerned with cryptography, basedcurrencies and commerce systems and specifically concerned with commercesystems adapted for cryptocurrency use in which cryptocurrencytransactions include a delivery address specification.

Related System

The controversially famous Amazon “single-click” invention presented inU.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411, surviving a rigorous 4 year re-examination90/007,946 to emerge largely unscathed, remains a very, powerful conceptin e-commerce. The patent will remain in force until September 2017providing Amazon a very enviable advantage in the e-commerce arena.

In brief, an Amazon customer prepares a profile that includes creditcard account details and shipping address. Thereafter, while browsing anAmazon Shopping website a so-prepared customer can avoid tedious checkout/shopping cart processes by using a “single click” checkout function.One click on the appropriate command button informs Amazon of theirknown customer's decision to buy a product, further authorizes chargesto the credit card on file, and finally specifies the delivery addresssimilarly by way of the customer's prepared profile details to afulfillment center.

Amazon is not alone in their efforts to make shopping easy for customerswith particular regard to the checkout process. eBay® operates aninstant “buy it now” feature which similarly permits a customer to skipan auction bidding process and invoke an instant sale transaction.Payment and shipping details follow immediately after a website userexercises the “buy it now” feature.

The PayPal® component of eBay® also permits storage of a deliveryaddress whereby a known customer can avoid repeatedly entering shippingdetails, as that information may be recalled from a customer profilemaintained in memory registers.

However, when not using either of these advanced commerce sites,e-commerce consumers may have to endure a tedious checkout process inwhich one must manually enter credit card details and further shippinginformation. Because each of us has likely performed this repeatedlyover the years, nearly everyone sighs the very sight of another checkoutweb site with its long form full of data fields which we have likelyfilled out so many times before. Accordingly, there is a need for acheckout page which permits users to indicate approval via a singleclick such that all payment and shipping information is automaticallyconveyed to merchants.

The systems presented herein are merchant agnostic. The systems work forall merchants, and it is not necessary for customers to bepre-registered as a noun (previous) customer of the merchant. Rather,completely unknown, unsubscribed customers equally enjoy thisfunctionality at all merchants site which elect to operate merely byexamining cryptocurrency transactions for shipping preferenceinformation and executing fulfillment based thereon.

A new and interesting system based upon distributed cryptographyincludes a cryptocurrency known as “Bitcoin.” While primarily acurrency, Bitcoin additionally includes many features which are fairlycharacterized as entire payment transactional systems. The Bitcoinpeer-to-peer network has quickly risen up to become far more than merecurrency. While still quite in its infancy, supporting systems whichintegrate with the remarkable features of Bitcoin come forth daily andare likely to continue for some time into the future.

While systems and inventions of the art are designed to achieveparticular goals and objectives, these inventions of the artnevertheless include limitations which prevent uses in new ways that arenow possible. Inventions of the art are not used and cannot be used torealize advantages and objectives of the teachings presented herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Commerce systems having integrated electronic delivery featuresincluding apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture foreffectuating cryptocurrency payment transactions with included deliveryaddress specification are described herein.

Cryptocurrency systems, including Bitcoin, offer astounding newpossibilities and enable remarkably novel functionality. In systemsfirst presented herein, cryptocurrency clients are arranged withprescribed delivery address specification for receipt of electronicallyconveyed goods and services. Cryptocurrency payments made via this soprepared client cause special cryptocurrency transactions to be formedand passed into peer-to-peer cryptocurrency networks.

Once received by the peer-to-peer network and queued for processing onthe blockchain, a merchant can parse these special transactions todecrypt delivery information such as a customer email address.Electronic goods and services such as concert tickets, software, music,etc. may then be transmitted directly and instantly to the customer.

Cryptocurrency transactions taught herein are quite unique because theycarry both payment and shipping/delivery information. Because customerspecified delivery information (i.e. email address) may be maintained ina user profile of a cryptocurrency client, it is no longer necessary forusers to manually convey this information to vendors. Rather, asingle-click Bitcoin payment, for example, includes the email address onwhich the customer prefers to receive electronic delivery of goods andservices.

Users install a special-purpose Bitcoin client on their choice ofcomputing platform. Such Bitcoin client is unique in that it providesfor a user profile facility in which one may set default shippinginformation including email address, postal address, shipping options,etc.

Once initiated with default shipping information, Bitcoin clientsoperate normally and appear identically with respect to common Bitcoinclients. However, important “behind-the-scenes” activity is additionallytaking place when transactions are formed in accordance with theseteachings. Whenever the Bitcoin client is used to make purchases fromcooperating merchants, special Bitcoin transactions are formed by theclient, transactions in which a customer email address is included.

Because merchants can readily detect Bitcoin transaction made in thismanner, as they arrive on the blockchain, highly automated quickelectronic delivery of goods and services is possible. For example,after the first confirmation, a merchant might automatically delivergoods to the so specified customer email for example concert tickets.

Because the certainty of the payment is high and the blockchain data isgenerally well secured, a vendor can be sure he is dispatching goods tothe correct person. Further, as the blockchain is easy to monitor andparsed by machine, electronic fulfillment of goods and service deliverycan be fully automated.

Customers interested in making purchases may scan a single QR code withtheir mobile phone to invoke a Bitcoin client prepared with a Bitcoinbalance and prescribed user profile information. A single-clickconfirmation causes the Bitcoin client to properly form a Bitcointransaction to pay the merchant the correct amount in cryptocurrencyunit and further to specify a receiving address or email on which goodsand services are to be received.

Merchant's fulfillment centers detect these payments, verifyconfirmation on the blockchain, and dispatch goods to the emailaddresses specified directly in the Bitcoin transaction, as recorded inthe blockchain

Objectives of the Invention

It is a primary objective of the disclosure to provide newcryptocurrency based commerce systems with integrated delivery schemes.

It is an objective of the disclosure to provide cryptocurrency paymentssystems having transactions with email delivery address specificationsintegrated therein.

It is a further objective to provide commerce systems, includingmerchant delivery routing information, for conveying electronic goodsand services.

A better understanding can be had with reference to detailed descriptionof preferred embodiments and with reference to appended drawings.Embodiments presented herein are particular ways to realize theinvention and are not inclusive of all possible ways. Therefore, theremay exist embodiments that do not deviate from the spirit and scope ofthis disclosure as set forth by appended claims, hut do not appear hereas specific examples. It will be appreciated that a great plurality ofalternative versions are possible.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and drawings herein.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative version of a product advertisement portion ofthese commerce systems.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustration of primary system components andthe relationships between these components.

FIG. 3 is an example user interface of a cryptocurrency client apphaving settings thereon to control the operational modes of thesesystems.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate, in a block scheme, the primary methods ofthese cryptocurrency-based commerce systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with each of preferred embodiments of this disclosure,cryptocurrency-based commerce systems having transactions with deliveryspecification integrated therewith are provided. It will be appreciatedthat each of the embodiments described include an apparatus and that theapparatus of one preferred embodiment may be different than theapparatus of another embodiment. Accordingly, limitations read in oneexample should not be carried forward and implicitly assumed to be partof an alternative example.

These systems are primarily characterized as cryptocurrency-basedcommerce systems having transactions with integrated deliveryspecifications therein. These systems include apparatuses, methods, andarticles of manufacture fashioned as carrier wave signals.

Apparatuses of this disclosure include subsystems which stand alone andthese same subsystems in further view of their relationships with othercoupled subsystems. For example, one important apparatus ischaracterized as a cryptocurrency client application running on ageneral purpose logic processor. This cryptocurrency client applicationincludes a memory or data store arranged as a user profile registry.This user profile registry supports recording of a user's preferredemail address and other delivery related performance options. Onceinitialized, the cryptocurrency client application operates in variousmodes in conformance with the user selections as defined by theregistry. Specifically, the cryptocurrency client may form Bitcoin (orother cryptocurrency) transactions in which a special encoding isintegrated with the transaction. Namely, a consumer email address isincluded whereby a merchant can recover this email address and use it toelectronically transmit purchased goods and/or services.

Other subsystems are also to be considered apparatuses of thedisclosure. For example, a merchant fulfillment module is coupled to aBitcoin blockchain whereby it can monitor, parse, and decrypttransactions which are integrated with a current state of the blockchainfrom time-to-time. Upon detection of prescribed transactions having anelectronic delivery address therein, these fulfillment modules respondby transmitting via the Internet and an email protocol purchased goodsand/or services in an electronic form. Accordingly, embodimentsdescribed herein include automated fulfillment means arranged to beresponsive to cryptocurrency transactions as they are added to theblockchain by a peer-to-peer network.

Additionally, the entire system which is comprised of these subsystemsand others, when coupled together form an amalgam which, in and ofitself, is a novel arrangement of elements and relationships which alsoconstitutes a discrete apparatus. This apparatus is also part of thisdisclosure.

Methods of this disclosure include processes and procedures that whenexecuted bring about commercial activity or trade in the sense of a saletransaction; that is an exchange of goods and/or services for monetaryvalue particularly including value expressed as cryptocurrency units.

Similarly with regard to apparatus described above, both subset methodsand methods in cooperation with related methods are considered part ofthis disclosure. Some of the sub methods taught herein standalone as newand not obvious and as such are entitled invention protection on theirown. When combined with other related sub methods, they form discretemethods which similarly are to be considered included in thisdisclosure.

In particular, one important method includes conveying a cryptocurrencytransaction to a peer-to-peer network whereby the transaction hasintegrated therewith delivery information such an email address. Apre-initiated Bitcoin client application used to purchase goods andservices includes user profile information including, for example, anemail address. Upon purchase, the Bitcoin client forms a Bitcointransaction and includes the email address as a delivery specification.

Forming such Bitcoin transactions having integrated email addressestherein are considered per se inventive methods.

Another sub method which stands on its own as inventive is related toactivity taken up by a merchant fulfillment facility. Upon monitoring ablockchain and detection of a transaction therein, whereby saidtransaction includes delivery information, the fulfillment facilityresponds by causing an electronic transmission of goods or services. Thefulfillment facility is responsive to the Bitcoin blockchain anddeliveries of goods and services by email to customers who pay withBitcoin are made.

These methods when operating together shall be construed as includedmethods. Further, these included methods may be combined with additionalsteps which further define and improve these methods.

These inventions also include articles of manufacture. Articles ofmanufacture for purposes of this disclosure include those of aparticular nature characterized as carrier wave signals. A carrier wavesignal is a physical embodiment of an electronic or electromagneticsignal having specific modulation thereon whereby said specificmodulation gives rise to some unique form or function or both. As such,the carrier wave signals described herein are unique and are firstdescribed in this disclosure.

One embodiment of this disclosure includes a carrier wave signalfashioned as a cryptocurrency transaction having encoded therein anemail address. In an illustrative example, a cryptocurrency transactionformed in conformance with the Bitcoin protocol may include, forexample, data payload specified in the 40 byte data field called “OPReturn.”

These and other aspects of apparatuses, methods, and articles ofmanufacture may be better understood in view of the followingdescriptions which is primarily directed toward illustrative specificversions of these apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture.

In one special illustrative version of these systems, a user having aprepared cryptocurrency client, such as a Bitcoin client which runs onthe Android operating system of mobile telephones, includes a specialsettings register in which a user may record his/her personal emailaddress. So prepared, the Bitcoin client can then be used to makepurchases of goods and services which may be delivered electronicallyvia email, for example concert tickets.

By way of an attractive concert advertisement of FIG. 1 , a concertpromotion 1 includes a cryptocurrency payment option integrated directlytherewith. It is clearly indicated 2 that users may purchase concerttickets (with an appreciable discount) via a direct cryptocurrency oroption. For users having a specially prepared Bitcoin Client such as anEasy® client 3, users are reminded by an instruction 4 that delivery oftickets will be automatic and instantly conveyed electronically viaemail. Users merely address the QR code 5 or otherwise enter a Bitcoinaddress 6 into the Bitcoin client. The user's Bitcoin client then formsa specially prepared Bitcoin transaction having encoded therein theuser's email address.

So encoded, this Bitcoin transaction is thereafter conveyed to theblockchain by way of the peer-to-peer Bitcoin network. Because theconcert promoter can closely monitor the Bitcoin blockchain in real timeat a fulfillment facility, the promoter may immediately know about thepresence of a pending Bitcoin transaction as it arrives at the networkprocessing nodes (miners).

Once the Bitcoin transaction receives sufficient confirmation, theconcert promoter can directly and instantly transmit admission ticketsto the user electronically by email.

It is no longer necessary for users to explicitly pass their emailinformation to merchants (concert promoters). This is due to the factthat this step is automated in software by the Bitcoin client. Further,it is not necessary for the concert promoter to receive and processorders manually as payment verification and delivery may be easily donein a highly automated fulfillment facility.

As such, concertgoers may more easily purchase and receive concerttickets directly. Since there is no longer needed for the bank'sapproval of a debit card, and no longer fees associated with bankservices, a concert promoter can enjoy improved margins on sales.Further, since ticket delivery may be made fully automated without humanattention, fulfillment staffing may be minimized or eliminated entirely.Of course, a concert promoter using such advertisements suggested inFIG. 1 may need to make efforts to avoid having fraudsters make Bitcoinaddress spoof attempts. There may be ways to ensure the genuineness ofBitcoin addresses used in such promotions.

In the scenario where several classes of tickets are available, a singleadvertisement may include several QR codes, one each for each class oftickets. Because the payments arrive on different addresses, it may betrivial for the fulfilment center to send the correct ticket class tocustomers who select which corresponding QR code to send a Bitcoinpayment to.

While the QR code in the figure represents only Bitcoin addresses, anencoding of the price along with the Bitcoin address may also beincluded. Certain Bitcoin clients may parse these types of encodings topopulate the associated fields and further direct formation of a bitcointransaction and present a user with a single “approval” confirmationbutton.

In the event that a customer is using a Bitcoin client not inconformance with the automated return delivery feature described herein,the purchase process is complicated by further steps which may need tobe taken between the merchant and consumer to convey alternativedelivery provisions, such as, use of a will call type drop-off center.

Customers using the instant delivery feature may enjoy almost immediatedelivery once Bitcoin transaction achieves a sufficient level ofconfirmation on the blockchain.

In one important poster promotional scenario, an interested concertgoer21 sees a printed concert advertisement 22 for a performance event, aBeyoncé & Jay-Z concert, and takes a decision to purchase tickets toattend. To acquire an admission ticket, the system user deploys a mobiletelephone computing platform 23 having thereon a Linux-based typeoperating system such as, Google Android®, which hosts execution ofapplication-specific software or “apps.” In one version, a mobiletelephone is equipped with (installed) a cryptocurrency type app, forexample, a cryptocurrency client 24.

Via optical interrogation, for example, imaging of a QR code 25, a usercaptures cryptocurrency address information and optionally priceinformation provided by a virtual goods merchant 26 as part of aspatially distributed advertising campaign 27. Advertiser or othervirtual goods merchant cryptocurrency address information is received bythe cryptocurrency app, for example, a Bitcoin client.

A Bitcoin client of these systems is distinct from those typically knownin the art and in wide distribution in that these systems include aspecial registry 28 and transaction forming module 29. Thecryptocurrency client registry is arranged to receive from users in aninitialization step and store therein, a preferred email addressspecification 210, the email address being one on which the user desiresto receive virtual goods purchased with the Bitcoin cryptocurrencyclient.

A special settings registry is arranged to permit users to set up userprofiles where personal information may be stored and recalled for usein certain related functions.

The transaction forming module is quite distinct from those modules usedto form Bitcoin transactions in common Bitcoin clients in that thistransaction forming module is specifically arranged with a data payloadbuilder 211 to form Bitcoin transactions which are, well-formed, able tobe processed, and in compliance with the Bitcoin protocol, butadditionally have encoded therein, as a data payload, a consumer emailaddress. This email address encoding may be arranged as simple plaintext, obfuscated text, or encrypted data.

There are several parts of the Bitcoin transaction which may supportinclusion of an email address specification. In one first scheme, aBitcoin transaction may be arranged with a plurality of outputs. It maybe possible to fashion one output address as a dummy address or “fake”address to carry information which decodes to an email address. A verysmall value of Bitcoin sent to this fake address may serve to put theemail information in the blockchain record (see Master Protocol foradditional details of this technique). A minor bit of engineering andcooperation at the merchant's fulfillment center's blockchain monitormay allow this information to be easily recovered in whole.

While such techniques are effective, such techniques may leave a kind ofresidue of unspent outputs in a portion of the system called the UTXO.As such, these techniques may be avoided, albeit they remain afunctional approach.

Another way to include data in a Bitcoin transaction without creatingunspent outputs relies upon a recent Bitcoin protocol improvement whichintroduces a data payload field. The “OP_Return” field permits 40 bytesof user-specified data which can be entered as part of a Bitcointransaction. In this field, a Bitcoin client of these inventions caninsert a user email address (either encrypted or plaintext). Merchantsfinding email addresses in these transactions may be certain that theyare true and accurate as coming only from the person signing thetransaction (possessor of the private key). As such, merchants may becomfortable sending valuable merchandise to these addresses without fearof “man-in-the-middle” schemes intercepting such goods and services.Still further, another approach for encoding a user email along with aBitcoin transaction relates to a Bitcoin transaction having a “multisig”construction. A multisig encoding is another way of getting data into aBitcoin transaction without polluting the UTXO. A conversion betweenemail address and a “false signature” of a multistate transaction maypermit Bitcoin clients to integrate email addresses with conventionalBitcoin transactions in conformance with the Bitcoin protocol.

After a Bitcoin transaction is formed with a data payload, which carriesa customer's email address and is properly formed and signed at thebitcoin client, it is transmitted to the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network212 where it is processed to be included in the blockchain.

The merchant operates a special fulfillment facility which may include aserver 213 which is coupled to the peer-to-peer network to monitor theblockchain and activity in the network, in particular, a blockchainmonitor 214 is arranged to watch the blockchain and one or moretransactions pending to be added to the blockchain. A decryption module215 may also be included to parse transactions thus yielding emailaddresses found in the transactions. Finally, an email server 216 isarranged to direct goods and services in electronic form to customeremail addresses recovered from the network in the bitcoin transactions.

In one example version of a cryptocurrency client (e.g. mobile phoneapp) in conformance with the teachings described herein, operationalmodes of the system are controlled via a graphical user interface 31used to set values in a settings register. The illustrative userinterface shown is directed primarily to setting parameters of anEasyBuy™ branded 32 application, a special Bitcoin client of theseteachings. The user interface permits users to make a binary selectionvia a checkbox type control object 33 which causes the cryptocurrencyclient to enter a mode in which for at least some Bitcoin (or othercryptocurrency) transactions include encoded therewith an email addressspecified by a user, sometimes by way of a local register or memoryarranged to hold the email address. In one example, a user may specify apreferred email address by text entry at a textbox type object 34. Theemail address “tessa@gmx.com” is entered and saved to a local register.Whenever the Bitcoin client forms a Bitcoin transaction, this emailaddress may be recalled from the register and encrypted, or otherwiseencoded, along with the Bitcoin transaction. Therefore, an importantnecessary step in using the systems includes a user specifying an emailaddress to be used in conjunction with future Bitcoin payments. Incommon uses of Bitcoin clients, users do not specify any email address,and email addresses are not integrated into Bitcoin transactions whichare passed into the peer-to-peer network. Additional functionality ofthese systems may similarly be controlled via user interface objects 35.Finally, in another action, a user may save selections to a local memorywhich controls the application both by dismissing the user interfacewith the “save” command button 36.

With reference to FIG. 4 , one will appreciate a fundamental step 41 ofgeneric versions of these system methods. Methods of executingcommercial transactions whereby both payment and delivery address areencoded together in a single cryptocurrency transaction are providedherein. That is, a Bitcoin transaction is formed into parts with apayment specification and a delivery specification (e.g., email address)and that transaction is conveyed to a peer-to-peer network forprocessing. Accordingly, methods which include the step of conveying, toa peer-to-peer cryptocurrency network, transactions which specify bothpayment and delivery integrated together are first proposed anddescribed in detail herein.

Further detailed methods of these systems will be more fully appreciatedin view of the drawing of FIG. 5 which illustrates two primary steps ofthese e-commerce techniques. In a first step 51, a cryptocurrencytransaction which has integrated therewith a delivery or email addressis conveyed into a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency network for processinginto the blockchain or public ledger. In a second step 52, a merchant orretailer responds to the first step by conveying goods or services tothe purchaser electronically via the specified email address. Ingeneral, a merchant “sees” the transaction by way of a blockchainmonitor and when it is detected, confirmed, and decrypted, a merchantmay respond, thereby causing an electronic transmission conveyanceaddressed to an email address found in the Bitcoin transaction.

In some versions, an email specification may be simply transmitted witha common Bitcoin transaction in clear text. However, as this can exposean email address to undesirable abuses, in certain embodiments, theemail address may be encrypted prior to incorporating it with a Bitcointransaction. In such versions, a Bitcoin client includes an encryptionmodule for this purpose. Additionally, both the Bitcoin client and themerchant's server may include a cooperative encryption scheme wherebyemail addresses encrypted by a Bitcoin client can be decrypted byauthorized merchants. These may be effected by various common encryptiontechniques suitable for light duty, encryption requirements.

Once a merchant's server detects arrival and confirmation of a so-codedBitcoin transaction on their blockchain, the server may provide goodsand services in an electronic form which may be transmitted viacommunication systems and networks such as the Internet or over emailprotocols such as SMTP, POP3, or IMAP, or others.

The particular types of goods and services which may be conveyed in thisfashion include, for example, performance event admission coupons or“electronic tickets”. A so-called “electronic ticket” is any conveyancewhich operates to indicate an authorization for admission orparticipation. In some versions, a mobile telephone receives an“electronic ticket” as a barcode image which may be scanned at aturnstile, for example. In this way, a concertgoer may send a singleBitcoin transaction directly from his/her Bitcoin client (initializedwith a default email address) and receive, by return email, a responsewhich includes means to pass the turnstile at the event venue.

Of particular interest, this may all occur in a very short time withoutany human participation.

While concert tickets are an illustrative example, it may be appreciatedthat other goods and services are equally important in systems taughthere. For example, electronic delivery of music and video media are alsopossible by systems described herein where a single Bitcoin paymentautomatically triggers receipt of such digital media via email or otherInternet message transmission. In some alternative versions, a link tosaid media may be sent to an email client, where stimulation of the linkinvokes any necessary player operable for consuming music or videocontent on a purchaser's local machine. For purposes of this disclosure,it may be considered as delivery of goods and services when such linksare used in this regard.

Other goods and services characterized as video games, software, hooks,electronic books, manuscripts, text encodings, live broadcast media,passwords, among others, may similarly be presented as purchased goodsand services to be delivered to an email address or delivered viahyperlink transmitted to an email address when the hyperlinkinstantiates an appropriate player/device on a local machine, wherebysaid player/device is arranged to consume media in a special format notamenable to consumption by conventional email client platforms.

Throughout this disclosure, the term “email address” or email addressspecification is sometimes used. While electronic message addressingcomes in various forms, it is to be understood that these systems are inconjunction with common email addresses in conformance with the standarddefinitions set forth in RFC 822. While other address schemes forelectronic messaging are considered included, most of this disclosurehas been directed to email addresses in common use in the form:[name]@[domain].[tld].

Bitcoin clients that these systems deploy are sometimes arranged todistinguish between common Bitcoin payments which do not requireconveyance of any delivery email address and those which are part of anautomated delivery scheme in which goods and/or services areimmediately, and automatically, conveyed to users via a provided emailaddress. There are several mechanisms by which this function may beachieved and each of these enables versions of these systems withvarious advantage in performance and overhead costs. Each may serve onetype of deployment better than another. All are considered lesserincluded species versions of the greater general system.

In a first most simple scheme, these Bitcoin clients are arranged as a“dumb” client and do not attempt to distinguish which Bitcointransaction should include an email address and which will not. Butrather, an email address is included with all Bitcoin transactionsformed by these clients. For transactions going to merchants notequipped with an automated delivery feature, it is okay to merely ignorethe email data of the Bitcoin transaction and provide for an alternativedelivery method.

In another simple scheme, a program administrator selects a plurality ofaddresses as designated addresses which may be stored to a publiclyavailable API or database query. Bitcoin clients attempting a Bitcoinpayment transaction may first inquire if the payment address is on thelist of designated addresses. In the event that the address is includedin the list, an email address is integrated with a Bitcoin transaction.In the event that the address is not on the list, then the buyer's emailaddress is omitted from the Bitcoin transaction. This technique requiresmaintenance of a registry of addresses and, additionally, the query stepto determine whether an address is a designated included address or not.As such it has its disadvantages.

In another alternative scheme, specially devised Bitcoin addresses areformed that include therein special key strings which indicate toBitcoin clients that the address belongs to an automated delivery systemand a customer email address is to be included within any Bitcointransaction having that address as an output.

For example, the following three Bitcoin addresses include theparticular pattern “1Easy” as an address prefix or lead string.

Overtly Marked Bitcoin Addresses

-   -   Address 1: 1Easy27dZSiZaRy9bnYYCudgexfkQKPL4Z    -   Address 2: 1EasyQQe5WJxyFiBAz7F4s2AXkusn1efP6    -   Address 3: 1EasygagYyUAyD5Uze2PcccTsdwYG9pTV7

A Bitcoin client may be configured to perform Bitcoin transactions toall addresses and to those addresses having ‘1Easy’ at the beginning toinclude an email address as part of the Bitcoin transaction.

Sometimes, it is preferable to obfuscate the signal or indicator withinthe address hut nevertheless included as a trigger to cause a Bitcoinclient to encode its email address with transactions to that address.For example, the following three Bitcoin addresses appear to be entirelyrandom in nature.

Covertly Marked Bitcoin Addresses

-   -   Address 1: 1LX3B4TfwYjioPagN8rektGKfen36bhw8A    -   Address 2: 1tytnr3XDnZpbRX3B3TmS9apGH4sLjfDm    -   Address 3: 13Cj8QQS5zAtZ5qXTDX8B9Th8BDGdryHAT

However, the pattern ‘X [d] B [d] T’, where [d] is any numeral, appearsin each albeit dispersed about the other characters randomly.

A parser module of the Bitcoin client may be used to examine Bitcoinaddresses prior to transaction transmission. In the event that thepattern is found within the address, an email address is included in theBitcoin transaction. In the event the pattern is not found, a normalBitcoin transaction is constructed without inclusion of any emailaddress.

Of course, other schemes are easy to devise to assure merchants,operating an automated electronic delivery feature, can receive customeremail addresses directly by Bitcoin transaction encodings. These are toonumerous to list here, but it may be understood that alternative schemesexist to provide this function.

Email Address Encryption

Because most users of email systems take great efforts to avoid carelessdistribution of their email addresses, some versions of the systemsdescribed herein include means by which email addresses are includedwith a Bitcoin transaction in an obfuscated or encoded and/or encryptedform. Clear text or plain text email addresses could be readily capturedfrom the blockchain and subject to abuse such as conversion to spamtargets. As such when a Bitcoin payment is made to a prescribed Bitcoinaddress where the sender's email is to be included therein, the emailaddress may be first operated upon to conceal it from unauthorizedusers.

In one first version, the email address may be encrypted as acryptographic message, where the Bitcoin address is the public key usedto encode a message so encrypted. A holder of the corresponding privatekey is able to reveal the message. In cases where the Bitcoin paymenttransaction receiver has the corresponding private key, email addressessent in this way may be readily decrypted by authorized partiesreceiving them.

Some embodiments of these systems include one in which a Bitcointransaction carries an email address via a special payload provisionknown as “OP_Return” in the Bitcoin protocol. The entire encoded emailaddress must be 40 bytes or fewer. In systems where limited data payloadsize restricts available encryption, alternative means of concealingemail addresses are provided. Many “lightweight” encryption schemes arepossible whereby an email address may be concealed or obfuscated andremain small in size. For strategies which adopt bandwidth limit datapayloads, these lightweight encryption schemes are preferred.

While email is an important electronic messaging platform and is used asan example herein, there exists other electronic messaging platformsthat enable further important functionality not achievable byInternet/email.

In the first example of such electronic messaging system, “text”, “SMS”or “MMS” messaging systems are well suited for carrying short or briefmessages over mobile telephone networks. “Text” or “SMS” areparticularly suited for very short text only messages. Conversely, MIMSmessaging systems are aligned to carry various content types andtypically are suitable for handling somewhat higher bandwidth albeitstill very brief in comparison to data heavy applications more typicalof TCP/IP message and file exchanges.

“Text,” “SMS,” or “MMS” messaging systems are quite distinct from emailand electronic messaging in that the addressing schemes and messagerouting are different. “Text,” “SMS,” or “MMS” type messages aredirected to their recipients by way of a telephone number. A telephonenumber is all that is needed to direct a text message or example.Specification of a telephone number in a text messaging system dictatesthe final destination of any message that can be routed therein.

Accordingly, systems described herein also work very well with thesealternative electronic messaging systems which are not based upon email,but are based upon the SMS and MMS messaging systems built upon a mobiletelephone communications networks.

In consideration of these alternative electronic messaging systems, thefollowing examples are developed. In these examples, Bitcoin payment maybe made wherein the Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency) transactionincludes a mobile telephone number on which a customer would like toreceive an SMS or MMS response. In a fashion similar to that describedpreviously, a mobile telephone number may be included as a data payloadin a conventional Bitcoin transaction, for example by way of an“OP_Return” data payload (or other encoding scheme)). Further, receiptof such Bitcoin transactions may be used to stimulate receiving serversinto sending automated responses by SMS or MMS to the destinationtelephone number.

In an important illustrative example, the Bitcoin client running as anapp on a mobile telephone, operates to form and transmit transactionsinto the peer-to-peer cryptocurrency networks. The app having access tothe mobile telephone number is operable for including this numberspecification within the Bitcoin transaction.

An important distinction should be appreciated regarding the notion “theapp having access.” In previous descriptions, a user profile ismaintained to hold a user's email address. However, in the instantversion it is not necessary that a Bitcoin client includes such a userprofile. Apps running on a mobile phone generally have ready access toparameters associated with the specific phone on which they arerunning—for example the mobile telephone number. Accordingly, without auser profile, a Bitcoin client may still send, as part of a Bitcointransaction, the telephone number which can thereafter be used by theserver to return electronic messages by SMS or MMS.

By further extension of the example presented previously, a mobile phoneuser may wish to purchase concert admission via a Bitcoin payment. Togain admission to the show, the server receiving the sent Bitcoinpayment must transmit a response to the concert going customer, wherebythe response operates to allow the customer to gain admission to theshow.

For example, with a properly equipped Bitcoin client suitably arrangedto form special Bitcoin transactions with a user telephone number(return SMS, MMS message address) integrated as a data payload withinthe Bitcoin transaction, a user buys concert admission by sending aprescribed amount of Bitcoin currency to a prescribed Bitcoin addressassociated with the concert promoter.

A blockchain monitor detects receipt of the Bitcoin payment and responseby recovering from the Bitcoin transaction the payer's telephone number.The server then prepares an SMS or MMS response to be directed by one ofthose messaging platforms, wherein the response includes means foradmission to the show. For example, a text message with an imageattachment may include a barcode or other optical encoding which may bepresented at a turnstile scanner for admission.

Since the server is arranged to take special procedures withtransactions received on particular addresses, the server may know tolook for telephone numbers encoded within these Bitcoin transactions.Upon resolving the telephone number received in a Bitcoin transaction,the server may direct a response to the person sending the payment byway of an electronic message fashioned as SMS or MMS.

It may be appreciated that sending a barcode to enable admission is aparticular embodiment well-suited for turnstile operations. However, theembodiments of this disclosure should not be deemed limited to SMS orMMS responses having barcodes. It is possible to fashion responses withpasswords, pins, codes, etc. Each of these response types may operate inconjunction with coupled systems to bring about particular advantagesassociated with those data types, for example, without deviation fromthe essence of this disclosure which lies in the notion that responseelectronic messages may be provided on various messaging platforms wherethe message destination address arrives at a server as a specificationintegrated in a Bitcoin transaction.

Based on the above description, one may now appreciate cryptocurrencybased commerce systems, having automated electronic delivery means andprovisions integrated therewith, as provided herein. Although thepresent invention has been described in considerable detail with clearand concise language and with reference to certain preferred versionsthereof including best modes anticipated by the inventor, other versionsare possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention shouldnot to be limited by the description of the preferred versions containedtherein, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of effectuating a purchase by acryptocurrency client, comprising: extracting, from a scan of a quickresponse (QR) code, a cryptocurrency address; determining, based on thecryptocurrency address, that a destination indication is to be conveyedin a cryptocurrency transaction to a peer-to-peer network for deliveryof a good or a service in an electronic form to the destinationindication; generating the cryptocurrency transaction having encodedtherein the destination indication; and conveying the cryptocurrencytransaction to the peer-to-peer network based on the cryptocurrencyaddress.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the cryptocurrencytransaction comprises a transaction formed in accordance with a Bitcoinprotocol; and the destination indication is encoded in an OP_Return typedata payload of the transaction.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thedestination indication is encoded in a multisig field of thetransaction.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the destinationindication comprises an email address.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe destination indication comprises a telephone number.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining, based on the cryptocurrency address,that the destination indication is to be conveyed in the cryptocurrencytransaction comprises: querying a remote database or an applicationprogramming interface (API) for the cryptocurrency address; andreceiving, from the remote database or the API, an indication that thecryptocurrency address is stored in the remote database.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining, based on the cryptocurrency address,that the destination indication is to be conveyed in the cryptocurrencytransaction comprises: parsing the cryptocurrency address; and based onthe parsing, determining the cryptocurrency address comprises anindication that the cryptocurrency address is associated with a servicethat conveys a good or a service in an electronic form to a destinationindication encoded in a cryptocurrency transaction.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the indication that the cryptocurrency address isassociated with the service that conveys the good or the service in theelectronic form comprises at least one of: a prefix to thecryptocurrency address; or a pattern within the cryptocurrency address.9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the cryptocurrencytransaction having encoded therein the destination indication comprisesencoding the destination indication in the cryptocurrency transactionbased on an encryption scheme in which the cryptocurrency address isused as an encryption key.
 10. The method to claim 1, further comprisingscanning the QR code.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the good or theservice comprises one of: an event admission ticket, a music recording,a video, a text, game content, a live event broadcast, a software, anencryption key, or a password.
 12. A method of effectuating a purchaseorder by a merchant fulfillment module, comprising: detecting acryptocurrency transaction having encoded therein a destinationindication for delivery of a good or a service in an electronic form;and taking one or more actions to convey the good or the service in theelectronic form to the destination indication.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the destination indication comprises an email address. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein taking the one or more actions to conveythe good or the service comprises transmitting the good or the servicein one or more email communications transmitted to the email addressover an Internet.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein taking the one ormore actions to convey the good or the service comprises: generating ahyperlink which enables a user receiving the hyperlink to consume thegood or the service embodied in the electronic form; and transmittingthe hyperlink in one or more email communications transmitted to theemail address over an Internet.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein theemail address is encoded in the cryptocurrency transaction as an outputaddress of the cryptocurrency transaction.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein the destination indication comprises a telephone number.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, where taking the one or more actions to convey thegood or the service comprises transmitting the good or the service inone or more electronic messages to the telephone number.
 19. The methodof claim 12, wherein the good or the service comprises one of: an eventadmission ticket, a music recording, a video, a text, game content, alive event broadcast, a software, an encryption key or a password. 20.An apparatus comprising: a memory having executable instructions storedthereon; and a processor configured to execute the executableinstructions to cause the apparatus to: extract, from a scan of a quickresponse (QR) code, a cryptocurrency address; determine, based on thecryptocurrency address, that a destination indication is to be conveyedin a cryptocurrency transaction to a peer-to-peer network for deliveryof a good or a service in an electronic form to the destinationindication; generate the cryptocurrency transaction having encodedtherein the destination indication; and convey the cryptocurrencytransaction to the peer-to-peer network based on the cryptocurrencyaddress.
 21. An apparatus comprising: a memory having executableinstructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute theexecutable instructions to cause the apparatus to: detect acryptocurrency transaction having encoded therein a destinationindication for delivery of a good or a service in an electronic form;and take one or more actions to convey the good or the service in theelectronic form to the destination indication.